Typically, when an individual exercises, the goal is to target (or develop) one or more specific muscle groups as part of the regimen. Thus, typically physical exercise equipment is designed to perform one target exercise at a time. In some cases, physical exercise equipment has been designed to perform more than one target exercise at a time, wherein each target exercise is directed to working out or developing a specific set of one or more muscles. In either case, all of the exercises are performed as target exercises, meaning that the exercises are performed in a manner that targets the development of muscles in the portions of the body.
One apparatus that allows for two target exercises to be simultaneously performed is described in Greene (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0051274). In the apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 10 of Greene, the exercise apparatus has seat handles/knobs that can be turned or rotated but not lifted or raised and the apparatus also has pedals for cycling. As described, the user of the Greene apparatus of this embodiment, who is seated, performs two specific target exercises simultaneously, one being a handle turning exercise that is performed to exercise the user's abdominal muscles as a first target exercise and the other being a cycling exercise that is performed to exercise the user's legs as a second target exercise. Greene does not teach performing an upper body exercise simultaneously with a lower body exercise where the user is lying flat on his or her back (i.e., in a supine position).
Unfortunately, these prior art efforts to perform more than one exercise regimen simultaneously have proven to be unsatisfactory. While a user may perform two target exercises simultaneously, there is no effort at obtaining muscular balance between the left side and right side of the user body. Such prior art techniques also fail to provide a sufficient engagement of deeper muscles, ligaments and/or tendons of a target portion of a user's body.
What is needed in a new and improved exercise equipment and method of using the same which overcome these shortcomings.